But he was dismissed without notice after being found guilty of gross misconduct for taking the lager, and of misconduct for sending WhatsApp messages to a colleague who was a witness in the case against him during the two-day hearing in Birmingham.

O’Grady, 43, claimed he had been suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and needed the cans of Carling for medicinal purposes because he saw “dead babies, murdered bodies and guns in his face” when he tried to sleep.

The Aldridge officer said his PTSD had been sparked when he was the first to the scene of a horrific murder in 2006, where the victim had been bludgeoned to death.

The incident sparked flashbacks to when he had previously had a gun pointed in his face during the 2005 Lozells riots, and to when he responded to the death of a baby in 2003.

He blamed the traumatic incidents for his depression, a subsequent addiction to alcohol and the break-up of two of his three failed marriages.

The officer of 15 years experience admitted during the hearing that he had taken the cans from a box on the floor of his station, five days after he had seized them while responding to reports of disorder at a pub on January 16, 2015. They had not been checked in properly as lost property.

Five days later, PC O’Grady was seen putting two cans into his rucksack before leaving for home. He admitted during the hearing that he did not even drink the beer himself – they were both drunk by his brother because his partner had brought home a bottle of wine.

“I had a bad shift and I took two of the cans home,” he said. “I knew that there was nothing for me to drink at home and I knew that I was not going to be able to sleep. It was part of my routine. The cans were going to help me through it. They were my medicine, it was for medicinal purposes.

“Every time I closed my eyes at night I saw dead babies, murdered bodies and guns in my face.”

"It’s ludicrous to contest that theft by a police officer on duty is anything but a serious departure from the standards of honesty and integrity”

When asked by his legal representative, Kevin Baumber, how he felt about his behaviour he added: “I feel disgusted, embarrassed and ashamed. There is not a day that goes by when I don’t regret what I did. But I’m not a thief. It’s about me being seriously ill and seriously ill for a long time.”

PC O’Grady denied that he had sent the text messages to influence a colleague, adding that he had already admitted to taking the lager to his Sergeant and Inspector.

He said he had sent the messages because he had been given details about a statement he had made and added: “I did not like the idea that he had put me down as a thief. I’m not a thief. He was a friend and was aware of my problems.”

The panel heard that the officer had a number of long periods of sickness over a number of years. The force was aware that he was on medication for depression and anxiety.

Summing up the case, John-Paul Waite, on behalf of the force, said “There is no reasonable option but to regard this as a matter of gross misconduct. It’s ludicrous to contest that theft by a police officer on duty is anything but a serious departure from the standards of honesty and integrity.”

In finding him guilty of gross misconduct, panel chair Andrea Pitt said the officer had received substantial support from the medical profession and from the force.